


Headstrong

by AstroPunk



Series: Where There's a Will, There's a Way [1]
Category: Astro Boy (2009)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Astro Has Real Emotions My Dudes, F/M, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Family Issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-06
Updated: 2019-06-12
Packaged: 2020-04-11 18:12:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19115020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AstroPunk/pseuds/AstroPunk
Summary: Trust me.Trust me!The words echoed in my mind as I watched my son, broken and beaten, limp towards the device that nearly killed us all in the first place... And he wanted me to trust him. How could I trust him when he was desperately trudging towards our, and his own, doom? How could I not trust him when he's done everything in his power to deserve it?





	1. The Damage Done

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damage was done. Lives were changed. Hopefully, some things aren't as irreversible as others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please do not skip flashbacks. They are important too.

***Flash-back, 12 years ago***

It was a lovely night in Metro city; the full moon was out, shining in all of its glory, and the stars were especially bright too. For the first time in a while, the cool night air could be enjoyed. It smelled... sweet, almost. It was most enjoyable; too bad my parents were missing it. They were inside the house, talking and laughing as my mom was attempting to bake a cake.

I continued playing with my little actions figures for I didn't know how long before a foul smell hit my senses like a truck. It burned my eyes and nose and almost immediately had me coughing violently. I lifted the collar of my shirt up to cover my lower face, looking up to find out where the smell was coming from... The house!

The next thing I knew, dad and I were standing on the curb.

My house... It was completely devoured in _flames_

I could only watch helplessly as the merciless wrath of the fire tore through my home, ripping through the memories and ultimately crushing my little heart. Fire trucks raced towards the house, screeching to a halt as the firefighter bots rushed to do their job. Cops, ambulances, fire trucks. Lights flashed; red and blue from every direction. Sirens blared, still barely being heard behind the unmistakable sound of fire sizzling and hissing as water was sprayed all over it. The fire resisted, rushing and spreading everywhere water was not, finding something new to ruin.

I wondered what would happen now. I looked up to my father who wore a terrified face, and then, it struck me... my mother wasn't there.

And little did I know, she wasn't ever coming back.

The only memories I have now, are the moments where my mother had baked me cakes and pies, and I would taste test them. I would tell her they tasted great, even when they didn't, and I would finish the piece no matter how foul. The moments where my mother would sit down with me and play. Just me and my mom; and my nanny-bot, of course.

My nanny-bot which had been reprogrammed by my mom herself, to assure my safety and well being. The nanny-bot which my mom had programmed to be as much like her as she could. My nanny-bot, who treats me just like my mom.

I didn't know what to do; my mom was gone, and my father was in never-ending grief. My nanny-bot began to hold a special place in my heart. My nanny-bot was never _just a robot_ after that point; it was the embodiment of my mother, and it was all I had.

My father, on the other hand, seemed to think much much less of robots from that point on. By the age of ten, I hadn't seen my nanny-bot at all for weeks at a time, until I did something good to earn her back for a little while. But those weeks would turn to months. Then years. And then it became forever.

I began to wonder if I would ever see her again, and then a thought hit me. Perhaps if I did agree to help my father with his robberies... Then maybe, just maybe, I'd be allowed to see her again.

*****Flash-In, Present Day*****

**Astro's P.O.V.**

I manage to fling the weird orange squid alien thing back into space, and, once it's gone from sight, I nod in triumph. I fly back down towards the city.

Landing, I decide to try and assess the damage. I take in the destruction. It didn't hit me until now, the guilt of seeing so many homes destroyed... I mean, maybe I didn't cause _all_ of it, but it still is my fault when you think about it. And now, a vast majority of these innocent citizens have to pay for our mistakes.

"Master Tob- uh, master- um... Astro," Orrin stutters, still unsure of anything at this point.

"Yeah?" I respond from over my shoulder, but I never take my eyes off of the city.

I begin scanning and calculating, marveling for a moment at how easy it comes to me. _That block is an easy fix... Ooh... That office building might take a good few months to rebuild, but that new building can easily be caught up. It wasn't nearly done yet anyway. I wonder how they're gonna take care of this building..._

"Astro!" Orrin calls from behind me. "Oh, um, what?" I turn around to look at him finally, a sheepish smile on my face.

"I said, your father is looking for you. He wants you to meet him at the car when you're done here," and then Orrin turns to leave. "Alright," I say as I follow him.

When we get into view of the car, I can't help but look down to my feet. It's gonna take a while to get used to everything after... All that.

Orrin opens the car door for me and I hop in behind my dad, who was in the driver's seat, and Dr. Elefun, who was in the passenger seat.

"Alright, Orrin. Go have your day off. Meet us at Dr. Elefun's house for dinner, alright?" "Alright… Bill! Ha, got it! I got it that time," Orrin babbles as he shuts the car door and rolls away. _Day off? That's new_ , I think to myself. I decide not to bother with it, though, as my dad has been pretty unpredictable lately.

The car gets quiet quickly after the greetings dad, Dr. Elefun and I exchange. I bring my knees up to my chest and look out the window, trying to ignore the periodic glances coming from both my dad and Dr. Elefun. Then a thought hits me.

"So... " I say quietly, but still immediately catching both of their attention, "What are we gonna do?" I ask from behind my knees. Dad looks at me through the mirror again, and I finally bring my eyes up to meet his.

"Well, we obviously can't stay at our home, but Dr. Elefun's place wasn't affected by the fight since his house is near the edge of the city. He said we could stay there in a guest bedroom until we find a new place; one of us gets the bed, and one of us gets the couch he's going to put in it. But for now, we're going to grab any belongings that we want to keepe," Dad explains softly.

I hum in reply and slowly put my head back on my knees, facing out the window again.

Once we get to our former home, Dad parks in the living room and we get out. I walk over to the open side of the building and look down at the streets and debris below.

"Wow..." I say in awe, absentmindedly stepping to the very edge of the broken floor. I am met with a clear view of the surface and all of its bumpy hills of grays and browns and just, well, trash! _How long were we in the sky, exactly? Well... not really we, technically speaking..._

"Dad, Elefun, I'm gonna go to my room," Dad nods as I inform him, and Elefun replies with an, "okay,". I walk right off of the edge and let myself free-fall for just a moment before activating my rockets and flying around to my room. I could immediately see that the wall was somewhat destroyed, but nothing major; just a shattered window from shrapnel from the explosion that destroyed the Peacekeeper, as well as some crumbling from the bottom of the frame and wall below it. I fly through it, cautious of the jagged shards of glass still holding onto the top and sides of the frame.

I land and walk over to my dresser to pick out some new clothes to put on. I choose a shirt similar to the one I was wearing before, except the stripes on the left are blue. Then I put on a pair of black cargo shorts. I tie a new red jacket around my waist as well. I guess I left my blue one at Hamegg's, but it doesn't matter. It was too tattered to really wear casually anyway.

I look around and wonder where to even start. I decide gathering all of my clothes would be top priority, so I grab a basket and dump all my clothes into it. I put the basket next to my door.

I look around to figure out what's next. When I spot my backpack, I open every single pocket and dump out some useless school books and folders. I begin to fill it with some of my stuff - well, _Toby's_ stuff that I am claiming, like his laptop and charger, his phone, a few of my personal favorite of his figurines and posters, his water bottle that I didn't know existed until I found it under his bed just now, and his sketchbooks and school notebooks. And pencils, of course.

It occurs to me, as I start organizing items in my backpack, that this is like a restart just for me. When we get another home, it'll be dad and _I's_ home. I'll have _my_ room. _My_ bed. Not _Toby's_ home, or _Toby's_ bed, or Toby's this or Toby's that. However, Tenma will still remain Toby's dad. Not mine.

I decide to push away those thoughts and move on to looking around the bookshelves, grabbing a good book or two. As I slide off the bed to put my books in my bag, my leg bumps something. I look over and pick up the flipped over picture frame, revealing a picture of me- _Toby_ , and dad smiling as Toby holds his level-12 astrophysics award he had won. I sigh, continuing to stare at it sadly... maybe even a little longingly.

"Astro," Dad calls as he walks through my bedroom door. I quickly stuff the picture in my backpack, hoping he didn't see it, and then I proceed to stuff my books in a different pocket.

"Almost ready?" He asks with a smile, but I knew his was just as unsure as mine.

"Yeah, I just finished actually," I say as I zip up all of the pockets. I swing the backpack over my shoulders, tie the hoodie around my waist a little tighter, and walk out of the room with the basket.

I jog over to dad as he puts his stuff in the trunk. I hop in and put my basket and backpack in the middle seat as he finishes up.

"Now are you sure you've got everything?" Dad asks, and I nod. "Alright," He gets in the driver seat, and then we leave. I turn around in my seat and look back at the building.

I turn back around and sigh, wondering if I should even be sad that dad and Toby's house is going to be demolished. After all, it is going to be rebuilt... But it just seems like it would make Toby sad.

"Here we are," Dad says as he brings the car down to ground level and parks in the driveway of a rather big house.

We get out and grab our things as Dr. Elefun unlocks and holds open the door. Holding my own basket and having my backpack around my shoulders, I watch as dad gets his stuff out. Feeling bad, I set my basket down and take things out for him. I stack a few boxes and suitcases and put my basket on top before picking it up and moving it into the house.

"The guest bedroom is right this way," Elefun says as he rushes ahead and opens the door for me.

"Thanks!" I say over my shoulder with a smile before putting the stuff down and looking around. The room is a larger room than I was expecting.

The walls were designed with white and pale yellow stripes. On the white stripes, thin little flower vines trail from the ceiling to the floor. There were also two windows; one was in the opposite corner of the room as the door, and the other was on the far left of the wall to the left of the door. The curtains were a beautiful maroon color, also sporting a floral design in a slightly darker reddish color. The bed itself, across the room in front of the door, was a full-size bed with a caramel brown frame. There is a thick blanket neatly smoothed out on it; the main color is a yellow-tan, with some red-tone and pink-tone flowers on it. Directly to it's left was a white nightstand with a light brown, almost caramel colored wooden-looking surface.

Hooked to the ceiling at the foot of the bed was a Holo-Television system, and on the nightstand was the remote to it. I pick up the remote and turn it on to see if anything was on. However, as I expected, there was nothing other than news channels covering the latest disaster to strike Metro City. I sigh and toss it back onto the nightstand.

"Are you alright?" Tenma asks as he walks in. I turn around in a flash as he once again startles me.

"Oh! Uh, yeah. Just hoping there was something better on..." I mumble. I walk out to the living room to help Dr. Elefun out with the couch. I pick it up and, with a bit of trouble, I eventually get it through the doorway. I put it longways from the foot of the bed to the wall. (Okay I know it's not likely a couch will fit through a doorway but for the sake of I didn't know what else to do, just go with it XD)

"Thank you, Astro! Now, I'll let you two get settled in. Make yourselves at home," He says as he leaves, shutting the door behind him.

I walk over to the stack of stuff, and dad makes his way to it too. "Do you want the bed?" I ask without looking back at my dad, and I start picking up my backpack. I put it next to the couch and I sit down on the floor facing away from him.

"Only if you're sure you don't want it," He says. I stop unpacking and I turn around to face him, wanting to say something, but I decide not to. I turn back around. Slowly but surely I get back to unpacking again, thinking about the question. It shouldn't be this hard. Just say you'll take the couch and give him what he wants.

"You can have the bed. I don't..." _deserve the comfort?_ "It doesn't matter to me,".

He pauses and takes his time to think, just as I did. Maybe he's onto me.

"Alright, if you say so..." He continues packing. I release a breath I never knew I was holding in. _Why would I do that? I wasn't that nervous just to talk to him, was I?_

I unpack every pocket of the bag besides the one at the very back. After a short pause, I open it up and pull out the picture. Just like before, I couldn't help but stare. I couldn't help but wish... 

Dad sighs from behind me, and I quickly lower the picture onto my lap out of his view. _Did he see that..?_ "Listen, Astro, I..." Dad starts, but I turn around to look at him when he doesn't continue. I can barely tell, but I swear he's biting inside of his cheek. I look at him questioningly. "I uh... I'll be right back," He says awkwardly and walks out in a bit of a hurry. All I can do is stare at the door once he leaves, wondering what the heck that was. There was obviously more to that. He obviously didn't just need to go somewhere, judging by his tone of voice and his behavior, but what am I suppose to do?

A sad thought gets to me. I slowly put the picture back, wondering why I was acting like this. Because maybe that was it. I don't feel like I know him anymore, he doesn't feel like he knows me anymore. If I'm acting weird, he doesn't know what to do. And then he's acting weird, and I don't know what to do either. 

So does that mean this won't work out? I want to live here, I want to love him and I want him to love me. Or am I keeping him from being happy?

Dad clears his throat lightly from behind me as he steps in through the door. I look to him, maybe sadly, maybe neutral. 

"We really need to talk, don't we?" He says with a light, nervous chuckle. I only nod in response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed!


	2. Who's Second Chance?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tenma believes Astro is giving him a second chance to be a better father. However, Astro believes _he_ is the one receiving the second chance, and thinks he must prove himself worthy of it.

*****Flash-Back, three weeks ago*****

I lean my back up against the grimy wall, listening to the periodic dripping, echoing slightly, almost lulling me to sleep.

At a certain realization, I shoot up from my spot on the floor. Rubbing my tired eyes, I look to my watch; 3:04 a.m. is what it reads. I sigh, running a hand through my disgustingly greasy hair. For regularly robbing high-end banks, my dad sure doesn't seem to be able to afford much...

I shake away my thoughts tiredly as I lean over and turn on the desktop computer. I plop down into the chair next to it, waiting for it to start up.

The screen turns on after a second of loading, and then I open the same program I've opened hundreds of times before. A program _sooo_ advanced, 'Dr. Tenma himself couldn't even dream of creating it'. Or at least that's what the man who sold it to us said, and what a strange man he was. Two upward curls of hair on each side of his fat head, a sad little mustache on his upper lip, and, a knack for technology.

I go through the same old routine; tap into the city's street camera feeds, pull up a pre-recorded video of the streets, and add that to the camera's memory; piece of cake.

I do it to every camera along my dad's usual route for the bank, and then I call him.

"Hey-"

"What the hell _took you so long?!_ I give you one simple task, and yet it takes you _thirty minutes?!_ " I flinch at the rough voice of my father, closing my eyes as if that would block it out.

I give an annoyed sigh before opening my eyes and muttering, "It has not been thirty minutes, dad. In fact, it hasn't even been _twenty_ ,".

"If I cared, you would know by now. Just be ready, or else you know exactly what will happen," And with that, he hangs up.

I sigh, but it comes out as a long, stretched out groan of irritation. Perhaps at my stupid father, or perhaps at myself for being so easily dragged into this criminal crap. _Why is he always like this? Why can't he just be grateful? Without me, he wouldn't know what to do. He doesn't even know how to run the very programs that could save his sorry ass from life in prison!_

I close the program, hide it, and then open another program. This one controls a hidden camera facing the alleyway. My dad will drive around, passing the alley a few times to get some distance between him and the police cars. Once he does, he will turn down this alley. Then it will be my job to open a hidden door, let him drive through, and close it before the cops can see.

After waiting for what feels like 3 forevers, He zips right past the entrance of the alley, cops on his tail.

My hand hovers over 'enter', preparing to send the code that would let my dad through the gates. The cars zip past once more.

In a second's notice, I hit enter and the door opens up as my dad finally turns the corner. I then enter the closing code. With a sigh, I hide that program and get up to meet my dad by the door.

*****Flash in, Present Day*****

**Nobody's P.O.V.**

"We really need to talk, don't we?" Tenma says with a light, nervous chuckle. Astro looks up at him, eventually nodding his head in response. In some hope that Tenma didn't notice the picture, Astro slips it back into pocket of his backpack as he stands up.

"Have a seat..." Tenma says before walking beside Astro and sitting on the couch. Astro does as instructed, sitting down next to, but not necessarily close to his father.

Awkward silence fills the room as Tenma tries to figure out how to start the conversation he wants to have. He loves Astro, he really does. In fact he never truly _didn't_ love Astro, but... How was he suppose to get that across to him? The poor little robot that he not only kicked out, but told to his face that he wasn't wanted?

While it felt like an hour, the silence only went on for maybe a minute before Tenma opened his mouth to speak.

"Listen... I'm not really good at the emotional stuff," He says guiltily, "And I'm not entirely sure how to make it up to you. For... Well, for everything," He says kinda awkwardly. "But I _want_ to make it up to you..." 

_Yes, if my memory serves correctly, you never were. But making it up to me? That's a new one. Where are you going with this?_ Astro wonders, his eyes making their way down to his feet. And then, after a second, over to Tenma's feet. 

"I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm sorry. For _everything_... You need to understand, I love Toby. He was all I had since his mother passed away. I built you to _be_ him, but when I realized you weren't, I guess I blamed you for it. But I promise you, none of it was your fault. _I_ built you, _I_ didn't listen to Dr. Elefun when he directly warned me you wouldn't be a carbon copy, and _I_ let my emotions control my actions..." He continued sincerely.

At this, Astro gives Tenma a questioning glance. "Not that I regret building you! That's not what I meant by that... " Tenma practically yells, face-palming, frantic at his mistake in word choice.

Tenma rubs his eyes and tries to collect himself again with a sigh. While he does, Astro, in one swift but gentle motion, sits closer to Tenma on the couch. Tenma lifts his hand from his eyes at the shift in weight next to him, to see two big brown eyes staring up at him. He stares back at Astro, taking in his son's odd expression. 

Something had occurred to Astro. Tenma still misses Toby with all of his heart, and yet... he is allowing Astro, who looks like but definitely is not Toby, into his life. He is giving Astro a second chance... 

And there is no room for error.

From Tenma's perspective, Astro seemed to be questioning himself. He looked so ready to jump out of his seat, and yet so trapped and unable to move. Tenma continues to stare, frozen, as Astro's decision is made and he quickly leans towards Tenma. Astro's arms stretch wide open, wrapping around Tenma's torso as he gently sets his head on his father's chest. 

Tenma graciously returns the hug, laying his head on Astro's, and cherishing the moment. 

Even though Tenma knew he didn't even come close to showing how deeply sorry and remorseful he was, he knew (or at least hoped he knew) that his son got the memo.

A large part of him felt pride, rightfully not in himself, but in his son for being the way he is. Another large part of him is so unbelievably thankful and relieved that he is getting a second chance to be a better father!

 _The next morning_ at 6:30 a.m., the alarm clock goes off.

Astro wakes up with a groan, finding a more comfortable position on the couch as he waits for his father to turn off the alarm. However, it doesn't stop. With another, more annoyed groan, Astro opens his eyes and turns his head towards the empty bed. This perks his interest. He slowly sits up and pushes off the blanket, not quite remembering it being on him when he went to sleep. He tiredly rubs his eyes as he stands up and turns off the alarm.

After getting dressed Astro makes his way out to the kitchen, assuming his dad and Dr. Elefun are out there. Astro doesn't walk right straight into the kitchen; rather, he silently stands the hall, listening to his father and Elefun's discussion.

"Well, once Logan becomes President and pays us for getting the city back in the air, we're _both_ jobless," Tenma says as he scrolls through a job application site on his phone. _Perhaps I could talk to him..._ Astro thinks to himself. He continues to listen in.

"I wouldn't worry too much about it, Tenma. After all, you are very well known, and if you get too desperate you may fall into the wrong hands. Besides, Astro needs you right now," Elefun replies, sharing his words of wisdom.

Astro continues to listen until Orrin spots him. Astro tries to play it off and walk into the kitchen as if that's what he was totally obviously doing just now.

"Oh, good morning, Astro!" Dr. Elefun greets as Astro walks in. 

"Good morning, son," Tenma also says, looking up from his phone.

"Good morning," Astro replies, sitting down at the kitchen table. Orrin places a plate in front of Astrot. "Oh, uh... thanks," He says with an awkward smile. On the plate were two small waffles, each with a dippy egg on top, and a pinch of salt.

Suspicion creeps into Astro's mind as he is about to cut the yolk. Putting his fork back down with a small clatter, and catching both Tenma and Elefun's attention, Astro pops the question, "Why are we eating this in particular?"

Tenma looks off to the side for a second before replying, "Well... I thought you liked it, so I figured, why not eat what you want this morning?"

 _So is there a reason you picked _Toby's_ favorite breakfast?_ Astro thinks to himself. "Well, I do like it. In fact, it's my favorite. Thanks," Astro tries to say nonchalantly as he picks up his fork again. And in seconds flat, Astro is amusing himself with the jiggly nature of the yolk. However, his thoughts cause him to pause...

_Howdy!_

_The cowboy with an arrow in his rear was singing and dancing across the screen. 'Toby' thought it was hilarious, but his father did not think so in the slightest. In fact, he looked very disappointed in his 'son' for showing such childish behavior._

His smile quickly drops at the thought, and he glumly cuts through the yolk. He spreads it across the egg covering the waffle, and continues eating... Now with a frown. Luckily for him, nobody seemed to notice his sudden change in mood.

Once they're all done eating, Tenma and Elefun go out to the living room to relax.

Astro, on the other hand, goes to the bedroom to think through an idea that crossed his mind during breakfast...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To make sure things don't get confusing: If you are reading the flashback part, and it specifies "three weeks ago" like this chapter does, it happened three weeks before the day this chapter starts on. I hope that made sense. It probably already made sense. So I guess it's just clarification. Sorry XD
> 
> Anyway, thank you for reading! I really hope you enjoyed the chapter! :) Please comment; anonymous comments are appreciated as well, and require nothing more than your message and a made-up username. :)


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